I’m pretty sure that roller coasters don’t really count as gadgets, what with not being the usual pocket- to- home usable size you’d expect. And also because they’re not really technological marvels (engineering marvels sure, but lets cut that debate short while I still understand the words being used!)
An exception to the rule has to be made for the Rip Ride Rockit which is to be unveiled at Universal Studios Orlando this year (date yet to be confirmed, but expected end of spring/ beginning of summer). You know how usually roller coasters whip you round a track, make it so that you can’t eat for a good couple of hours, and at the end all they give you is a vastly over priced photo of your distorted face and the nipples of the guy behind you? Well this one lets you mix a music video.
You travel at 65mph along 3800 feet of steel track, all the time accompanied by your own theme music, chosen on your individual ‘Guest Interface Panel’. That’s right- instead of just listening to the screams of your fellow riders, you get to choose from songs over five genres (rap/ hip hop; country; classic rock/ metal; pop/ disco; or club/ electronica) and it’s played directly to you through individual Polk Audio Speaker Setups in the seat, designed to block others music from your ears and vice versa.
The ride then takes you through a truly nauseating number of maneuvers- including three never seen before turns, incorporating a Double Take where you switch from inside the loop to outside the loop; a Jump Cut which makes you feel like you’re corkscrewing without ever turning you upside down; and- my favourite- a Treble Clef, which is pretty much what it says on the tin- a treble clef shaped loop the loop! The whole ride sounds awesome.
Once you get back to flat ground, you head off to the little booth and probably pay through the nose for what will undoubtedly be a video of you looking terrified, screaming and pulling grotesque faces to a rocking sound track, filmed courtesy of fourteen cameras placed along the ride. I’m betting some indie band films a music video on in before the end of 2010.
It might not be a gadget in the strictest sense, but with all the cool techy stuff how could I not report it? Who’s up for a trip to Orlando?
More information, plus videos available at the Rip Ride Rockit site
Source Gizmodo
One thought on “Rip Ride Rockit Rollercoaster- the most high tech rollercoaster you’ll see this year”
I never thought roller coasters could get such a tech face-lift. Nice find!